Study Document
Poetry Has Been Used to Essay
The horse race that Bukowski remarks upon as meaningless acts as a metaphor for life in general. We are all racing to win, but against the light of eternity, what does any of it mean. Are there any winners in life? This defeatist thinking is something everyone does; it is something that I have done, but when I step back and see that for myself the horse race is against myself and the race is one when I've reached my own goals. I'm young, however, and the weariness that I've experienced would most likely pale against what Bukowski alludes to throughout the poem in his experiences working in menial jobs for twenty years.
With the conversation between the motel clerk and Bukowski he remarks that he is leaving the horse race because he finds it boring to which the clerk responds, "If you think it's boring / out there," he tells me, "you ougtha be / back here." This acts as a sort of signifier that no matter what position in life, there is the same tedium that afflicts us all. I can think of how many times I've been exhausted from sickness and I feel an inkling of pity casting a shadow on my thoughts, but the truth is that I'm not the only one suffering in that moment and in the grand scheme of things my experiences are ultimately not novel. The human experience is varied but adheres to a broader and more universal theme.
In the end Bukowski is just an old writer, putting to paper his experience of the world and his reaction to it, but within this poem there is a knowing nod to the reader that although he is the writer, he is not special. Reading this poem solidified my relationship to the author as a sort of kinship. We are all struggling to live and there are moments that make the experience seem meaningless, but the truth of that statement is that everyone feels that at some point in their lives.
Related Documents
Study Document
Poetry Is Often Used to Express Emotion
Poetry is often used to express emotion at its most romantic and infatuated, but sometimes it is used to describe the pillars of life behind that romance -- the sexuality, insecurity, devotion, and fidelity. Dorianne Laux, Anne Bradstreet, and Barbara Greenberg explore their very different relationships through poetry, examining this causal underpinnings through poetry. Using careful word choice, expressive imagery, and specific audience, each poet expertly wields her tool to
Study Document
Poetry of John Keats Inspires Readers Because
poetry of John Keats inspires readers because of their lyricism, accessibility, and imagery. Many of Keats' poems focus on beauty as subject and theme, for beauty is a source of inspiration. Flowers and other natural objects like birds, trees, and supernatural creatures appear frequently in the works of John Keats to convey the theme of beauty. As one of the threads tying Keats' poems together, the theme of beauty
Study Document
Poetry About Struggle
Poetry about struggle: The African-American experience Poetry is a medium which naturally lends itself to dealing with the topic of oppression. It enables members of historically-marginalized groups, such as African-Americans, to express themselves in covert ways that challenge the dominant paradigms of the societies in which they live. Through the use of the techniques of metaphor and simile, symbolism, and other literary methods, authors such as Paul Lawrence Dunbar, the author
Study Document
Poetry Analysis "True Love" Wislawa Szymborska "Acquainted
Poetry analysis "True Love" Wislawa Szymborska "Acquainted Night" Robert Frost Wislawa Szymborska's "True Love" Wislawa Szymborska's poem "True Love" is initially likely to induce feelings related to simplicity and to the overall impression that love is overrated. However, upon second reading and a more in-depth analysis, one is probable to discover that the poet was concerned about putting across a more complex message -- one that relates to the benefits of love
Study Document
Poetry Analysis of "And the Sun Still
Poetry Analysis of "And the Sun Still Dared to Shine" The Holocaust during World War II is one of the best documented and most horrendous periods of human existence. There have been other times in history where as many were senselessly killed in a short amount of time, but never have they been subjected to all of the horrors to which the Jews in the concentration camps were participants. A book
Study Document
Poetry As Social Challenge in
At this point, the emerging women's movement during the 1960s provided Rich with the ratification she needed. The movement articulated the very feelings of conflict she was experiencing on a personal, sexual and cultural level. This also allowed her to participate in a dialogue with her environment via the platform developed by the social movements arising during this time. Whereas her first poetry was therefore formal and unemotional, both her